Chris Paul gives Stephen Curry a shimmy after hitting 3-pointer in his face

Chris Paul hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Stephen Curry’s face to tie Game 5 on Thursday before hitting him with a taste of his own medicine. (AP)

This must have felt good.

Chris Paul, who’s long been considered one of the NBA’s elite point guards, has been in Stephen Curry’s shadow for years. The two were rivals when the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers looked to be building a budding rivalry of their own a few years back.

Then the Warriors became the two-time champion juggernaut Warriors and the Clippers, well, eventually did what the Clippers do.

Now Paul has his best chance at shedding the label of one of the best to not win a title and Curry is standing in his way. He was literally standing in his way in the third quarter of Thursday’s Western Conference finals Game 5 when Paul stepped up with the buzzer-beating, game-tying 3-pointer.

And he gave him the Steph shimmy. Right in his face.

Curry, who’s shimmied on opponents for years, had no choice but to smile.